Meet Snip Esterly, Berks Catholic Boys Head Basketball Coach

Meet Snip Esterly, Berks Catholic Boys Head Basketball Coach

Snip Esterly, who as the boys basketball head coach at Central Catholic (22 seasons) and Berks Catholic (five seasons), is Berks County's winningest coach with 637 victories as opposed to just 156 losses, tells Zeke that the secret to his success has been “obviously the kids plus the coaching staff I’ve had over the years.” Esterly's coaching legacy is amazing -- 22 division titles, six county titles, 12 district titles and one state championship. “I wouldn’t have ever started without (then Central head coach) Reggie Weiss,” Esterly tells Zeke. “He came over to the house one night and asked me if I wanted to help out.” And when the head coaching job eventually opened, “I am grateful that (then Central athletic director) Joe Murphy and (then Central principal) Vince Shemanski gave me a chance,” Esterly said. The Saints had a young team last season, finishing 17-10 and coming up short of state playoffs. Berks Catholic did lose All-Berks Tyrone Nesby Jr., who would have been its top returning player but transferred to Reading High. “We have at least five to seven sophomores that will see game time this season,” Esterly tells Zeke. “We’re gonna be a force. I really like this team.” The PIAA reclassification now has Berks Catholic as a 4A, but Esterly says, “Basically, I don’t think it’s much difference for us.” Asked by Zeke about what has changed the most in high school basketball over the years, Esterly responds: “I think not much has changed. But kids have so much more today. Technology is incredible … open gym, running laps, playing, and kids on the side all sitting there looking at phones and texting. Another difference is that 15 to 20 years ago, the weight program was not there as much. Now everybody is doing it. It always helps.” Asked by Zeke what he enjoys most about coaching, Esterly replies: “The kids are great. The young men are great.”